Boyle Heights artist-run space 356 Mission, which opened in 2012, is to close reports the Los Angeles Times. Founded by Laura Owens and Wendy Yao, the gallery is set to close its doors in May following exhibitions by Alake Shilling and Charlemangne Palestine. Despite having been the target of anti-gentrification protests by activist groups such as Defend Boyle Heights, Owens (a painter) and Yao (also the founder of art bookshop Ooga Booga) have said in a statement that their reasons for closing were more to do with the viability of keeping an artist-run space open long-term: ‘It was a labor of love, with finite resources, and never intended to last forever… We still believe that art spaces are vital to the cultural empowerment of all people, and that artists can be allies of vulnerable communities.’
3 April 2018
